IGD: Padres @ Mets (10 Aug 06)
Thu, Aug 10, 2006
by Geoff Young
first pitch: 9:10 a.m., PT
television: none
matchup: Chris Young (9-5, 3.78 ERA) vs Orlando Hernandez (7-8, 4.97 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
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I’m told that this series between the Padres and Mets has had a playoff atmosphere. Judging from the fact that I’ve gotten home just in time to see the opposing closer finish out the Pads the first two nights (including once courtesy of a Greggian call against Ben Johnson Wednesday night that denied Brian Giles a final at-bat), and will be arriving at work as the finale starts this morning, I’d say it feels exactly like the playoffs: My team can’t win, and I can’t watch them at least try.
Chris Young gets the call for the Pads, while Orlando Hernandez starts for the Mets. Hernandez is a perfect fit for this ballclub. He gets abused by lefties (.302/.365/.566), so the opposing manager stacks the lineup. Then, assuming Hernandez survives the first few innings, the Mets have four southpaws in their bullpen who can cause serious matchup problems late in the game. This is terrific roster management — Hernandez’ one weakness isn’t as easy to exploit in his current environment as it might be elswhere; in other words, he has more value to the Mets than just about anyone else.
Young, meantime, has made four starts since the All-Star break and gotten pounded. Opponents are hitting .329 against him, with seven home runs in just 19 innings. On the bright side, Young hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of his 10 starts away from Petco Park this season. In fact, he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a road game since August 12, 2005, when he surrendered five at Yankee Stadium. Coincidentally, that’s the last time Young pitched in New York.
By the grace of Jeff Francis, who ended the Dodgers’ winning streak at 11 on Wednesday night, the Padres remain atop the NL West. With Los Angeles and Arizona both a half-game back, these truly are the dog days of summer. And even though it bothers me that the Pads haven’t done more to improve the club down the stretch, my irritation is mitigated somewhat by my belief that this team was built with 2007 in mind.
Let’s face it, there’s a real good chance that whoever wins the division will get stomped in the playoffs. I’d still rather be the team that gets stomped than a team watching them get stomped on television, if that makes any sense, but I guess the real question is how much of a sacrifice do you make for the right to get stomped?
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
August 10, 2006 at 8:38 am
Teddy called that plate ump the best in baseball. But he certainly blew that last call, or maybe he had dinner reservations…
Gees, are the hardened NYC fans crying over Mike or what. Theres no crying in baseball. There is not crying in baseball. Applauding an opposing HR. Maybe its the heat.
August 10, 2006 at 9:01 am
Greene is still out of the lineup
August 10, 2006 at 9:02 am
Feeling like the Padres are not getting their share of hits with guys in scoring position in this series? Well, you are right.
Men in Scoring Position:
NYN Game 1: 12 AB, 15 PA, .167 BA, .500 OPS
SDG Game 1: 5 AB, 6 PA, .000 BA, .167 OPS
NYN Game 2: 11 AB, 13 PA, .454 BA, .993 OPS
SDG Game 2: 4 AB, 6 PA, .000 BA, .333 OPS
NYN Series: 23 AB, 28 PA, .304 BA, .732 OPS
SDG Series: 9 AB, 12 PA, .000 BA, .250 OPS
So, we are not getting too many guys on, and, once out there, we are not picking them up, at all. Not once. All runs off of HR’s; our sole multi-run HR was with a man on first. NYN got it done in the second game, and we dodged a lot of bullets in the first game. When I was doing this, I noticed that a lot of missed opportunities by the Mets were the 8 and 9 spots. Ours were our 2-6 guys. So not only are we not getting it done, we are not getting it done by our best hitters.
Let’s hope the post ASB ailments haunting CY don’t show up.
NYN Game 2: 12 AB, 15 PA
August 10, 2006 at 9:04 am
Mets are giving the pads a break and putting out a B lineup for the pads best pitcher (I may be eating my own words later though)
August 10, 2006 at 9:09 am
Bleh I dont like how boch did the lineup, I would have much rather seen
Roberts
Barfield
Giles
A Gon
Bard
Walker
Blum
Johnson
August 10, 2006 at 9:14 am
I gave up trying to figure Boch’s lineups a long time ago. That being said, you’re right about the Mets. This is our golden opportunity to salvage the series.
August 10, 2006 at 9:18 am
If the pads dont make the playoffs is Boch the manager next year?
August 10, 2006 at 9:24 am
Good morning, Ducksnorts! It’s such an unusual day to have our game start at 9 am. Go Adrian! Gotta strike first against El Duque.
August 10, 2006 at 9:38 am
FYI, Bard is hitting .209 (9-43) since the All Star break.
August 10, 2006 at 9:54 am
And Chris Young owes Mike DeFelice money, which is the only explanation for walking him.
August 10, 2006 at 9:55 am
And Chris Young is clearly not the same pitcher since the ASB. This team is playing too inconsistent to win anything right now. We need this game and CY is giving their B-team every opportunity to win it.
August 10, 2006 at 9:58 am
I agree, Bruce. The Padres are not playing consistant ball. With LA and AZ nipping at our heels, we won’t make the playoffs if we don’t start pulling it together.
August 10, 2006 at 9:59 am
I walk away from my desk for 2 minutes and we go from 2-0 to 2-3. What the F___!!! I freaking hate the Padres!
August 10, 2006 at 10:01 am
The more that I think about it, the Linebrink/Betemit deal could really come back to haunt us. Especially if we could ALSO have gotten Walker (and dumped Bellhorn).
August 10, 2006 at 10:06 am
well, walker could have doubled el duke, but I guess is didn’t want to or something.
August 10, 2006 at 10:08 am
Yeah, if I remember correctly, this is just about the time last year that I and most of the rest of Padres fans turned our attention to the Chargers. This series clearly demonstrates that the Pads and the NL West is truly second rate.
August 10, 2006 at 10:09 am
I think I see now why the Rangers traded CY, by the way. 57 pitches through 2 1/3 innings. Same story every game.
August 10, 2006 at 10:10 am
Michael Tucker and Ricky Ledee in the outfield for the Mets today. Was Roberto Hernandez really worth X Nady for them?
August 10, 2006 at 10:14 am
Also, for the record… I thought the pitch before strike 3 was a worse call then strike three to Ben Johnson. The curve off the outside corner was close enough to call a strike, but the 3-1 pitch almost hit him. Doubt we get another run off Wagner anyway, but more bullets expended would help to ensure we don’t see him again today (probably won’t anyway).
August 10, 2006 at 10:18 am
Bard will be at .265 by the end of the year.
August 10, 2006 at 10:23 am
The thing that bothers me about Betemit haunting us, was not necessarily losing out on Betemit himself, but it was the idea that Linebrink would help this team more than a hitter. It again confirms to me that Towers seems to struggle with cashing in on players when their value has peaked. Sure the bullpen is stronger with Linebrink, but it wouldn’t be garbage without him. This team struggles to score runs, don’t you think it would be wise to upgrade that part of the team as much as you could. Just think, if we had Betemit for example, he could have been playing SS in Greene’s absence instead of Blum, and Bellhorn/Walker could still be at third. The whole thing is just so frustrating. This team is in way becoming like last year’s, it fails to keep your attention.
August 10, 2006 at 10:26 am
The thing that stings the most about Betemit is that he’s in LA working against the pads. KT had to know that the dodgers where trying to get him and he just let them improve thier team.
August 10, 2006 at 10:33 am
I guess the final resolution will come when/if Linebrink is traded in the offseason. So many people are saying he’s the heir apparent to Trevor, but I believe (as do many people like Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta) that closers are a dime a dozen. Truly great closers are very few and far between. I’d rather have a quality 3B.
August 10, 2006 at 10:40 am
Klesko 1-1 with 3 BB at Lake Elsinore last night.
August 10, 2006 at 10:43 am
Alright. I’m done.
August 10, 2006 at 10:50 am
In regards to our current course of ineffective hitting, does anyone think that the “honeymoon” period for Merv is over and now we’re back to where we were in the beginning of the season? We saw drastic improvement when he first came on the team, but now we’re back to where we started.
August 10, 2006 at 10:53 am
Maybe Klesko finnally realized he couldn’t hit and started trying to walk.
August 10, 2006 at 11:00 am
Hey Masticore317 … thanks for the report from last night’s game in yesterday’s IGD!
August 10, 2006 at 11:01 am
Re 16: How does this series demonstrate that the NL West and the Padres are truly second rate. They lost two games by one run each, and are losing this game by one run going into the 7th. Top that off with the extreme fluke of NO hits with runners in scoring position and you can say with confidence that the Padres and the NL West are second rate?
It is not like they are getting blown out or anything of the sort. They continue to scrap, but this series to no avail so far.
August 10, 2006 at 11:02 am
It’s all mental with this team, and probably any team for that matter. When Merv first came on board, many players probably saw it as a positive change, and Merv reinforced it with his positive outlook. However, losing several close games in the ninth and letting go of two popular clubhouse guys seems to have stolen the momentum and confidence from the team and they are struggling to get it back. Just when they take one step forward, i.e. sweeping the Dodgers, they take two back, losing 3 of 4 from the Rockies. I ultimately believe that this team largely embodies the laid-back personality of Bochy, and are largely content with being competitive…
August 10, 2006 at 11:05 am
Hindsight is 20-20 and all but thank you Willie Randolph for not hitting for Hernandez last inning than turning it over to the bullpen.
August 10, 2006 at 11:07 am
Hernandez is true to form today:
LHB: 4-for-17, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 SO
RHB: 0-for-6, 3 SO
August 10, 2006 at 11:12 am
Thanks to Giles/Bard, Chris Young now has a streak of 20 straight road starts without a loss.
August 10, 2006 at 11:14 am
Why did we bring Brocail into a tie-game?
August 10, 2006 at 11:18 am
Because he’s only given up 1 run in his last 8 appearances (10.2 IP)? Seems like an OK reason to me … who’d you want to have brought in?
August 10, 2006 at 11:20 am
Weird… I walk away from my desk again with a tie and come back to a mess. Did I mention I hate the Padres?
August 10, 2006 at 11:20 am
anyone but Brocail really.
August 10, 2006 at 11:20 am
But I’d sure yank him out now … wouldn’t you?
August 10, 2006 at 11:21 am
Bruce, I don’t know if it’s all mental. We’re not a really good hitting team, strictly on talent.
The decision to use our 11th best pitcher in a tie game burns us.
August 10, 2006 at 11:21 am
Was Meredith available?
August 10, 2006 at 11:21 am
4 hits, 3 runs, and no outs, yeah I would yank him.
August 10, 2006 at 11:21 am
Re #34: To demonstrate how valuable Linebrink really is?
August 10, 2006 at 11:23 am
We go from a tie game to the Mets blowing it open?! Time for Boch to have another one of his team talks. The team needs a mental kick in the pants.
August 10, 2006 at 11:24 am
Bruce … so the 8 appearances & 10.2 IP with only 1 run don’t impress you? It just seems like if Meredith had been brought in and got bombed then we’d be talking about “why not bring in the hot hand, the guy that’s only given up 1 run in his last 8 outings, rather than a guy who pitched less than 14 hours ago” …
August 10, 2006 at 11:25 am
Linebrink or not, I would rather have Cassidy or Sweeney on this team than Brocail. TW is right, he’s the last option out of the ‘pen for me before today’s game… This is just ugly now… *sigh* third place here we come.
August 10, 2006 at 11:26 am
Crap. What the heck? 4 runs and no out. I’m done now.
August 10, 2006 at 11:27 am
OT - Prior’s not getting anybody out today … Brew-ha’s are 4-for-4 (OB) so far … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=260810108
August 10, 2006 at 11:27 am
Someone, please, stop the bleeding!
August 10, 2006 at 11:28 am
Thanks Lynch Mob! It’s not that often I get to go since the Padres only come to NY once a year.
I think there are preliminary plans to spend a week in San Diego in the future. My only prerequisites:
Get to see a Charger game at home
Get to see at least one Padres game where Trevor gets the save
After that, I can’t complain about anything!!!!! I’ve been gearing up for this trip my entire life!
August 10, 2006 at 11:29 am
Gees, what a mess this team has become. Is this what we get for not trading Linebrink? Meanwhile, dogs look great. Oye!
August 10, 2006 at 11:35 am
The reason I would go with Meredith in that situation is I think he’s our best reliever right now. Brocail may have the hot hand, but Meredith is THE hot hand, with a 1.35 ERA and 10.6 VORP in only 20 innings. Plus, I think (and this is purely speculative) that younger players have a tougher time with weird deliveries, and we were facing Reyes, Chavez and Wright in the half-inning. I think they would have more trouble with Meredith than a guy that simply tries to go fastball/slider.
August 10, 2006 at 11:39 am
Not to argue over Brocail, since the Pads have more problems than just him, but out of those 8 apperances, only three of them were wins, two extra inning affairs where he was the last guy used that day, and the other was the Peavy win over LA. Otherwise, every other game he appeared in, we were being blown out or already losing. I should have made my overall point clearler: I wouldn’t be, and the Padres shouldn’t be bringing in Brocail in high-leverage situations, which today would be a tie game in the 7th facing the top of the Met’s lineup.
August 10, 2006 at 11:46 am
That’s exactly how I feel, Bruce. I sure wouldn’t let 10 innings override a career’s worth of mediocrity, either. Why the hell did we hang onto Linebrink if we’re not going to wring the most use out of him?
August 10, 2006 at 11:47 am
Not to pile on my friend LM, but I gotta agree about Brocail. Impressive stats recently, which normally I would also tout. But, having seen him at a game last week and a few times on the tube, to me he looks like he is doing a highwire act getting anyone out.
August 10, 2006 at 11:47 am
Re:29
Yeah, pretty much. The Padres are second rate. It’s not fluky that the Pads don’t hit with runners in scoring position. They have a bunch of bad hitters. Adrian Gonzalez is great, but who else? Dave Roberts is a pretty passable player (but can’t hit lefties), Giles sucks, Piazza good for 3 out of every five games (meanwhile the Mets record 48 stolen bases against us), Cameron is hot for a week, then cold for 2 months, Barfield is a rookie hitting .285 with crappy OBP and OPS, we don’t have a 3B or 7 hitter, and our SS cannot stay healthy for a full season…ever. We have no hitters at the top in any offensive category. Second rate.
August 10, 2006 at 11:48 am
I think Bruce raised an important issue with regards to the mental makeup of the team. Sandy Alderson has stated that they didn’t expect to be this competitive this year, that they are geared for 2007. How does that attitude affect the players? I’m sure they were just as worked up as we were over possibly bringing in a quality 3B and nothing happened (no offense to Todd Walker). Combine that with the Dodgers going out and making some big moves and the laid back management style and it’s not hard to see why there’s been a let-down here and the Dodgers have been on a tear.
I’m not saying management is wrong either, maybe looking to 2007 is really the best option. But there is a mental component to all sports and I think the 2007 has affected the team this year.
August 10, 2006 at 11:56 am
Not sure what’s so great ahead of us, either. 2007 is probably going to look a lot like 2006. Oh wait, I’m sure we’ll go get David Wright and Barry Zito with the 25 million we have coming off the books. We’ll give the Mets Bellhorn, Ben Johnson, and Jared Wells for Wright.
August 10, 2006 at 12:00 pm
Go chargers, yeah, they’ll probably go 8-8 too.
August 10, 2006 at 12:02 pm
Brocail is frustrating. The stuff is still there but he can’t get guys out — it’s like watching Jim Brower earlier this year. Maybe Thompson can stay with the big club when Park comes off the DL tomorrow?
FF: I think 2007 will look a lot better than 2006 with Klesko and Park off the books, and Barfield and Gonzalez having a full year of experience under their belts. For as bad as the Pads are playing, I’ll still take the current cycle over 1999-2003 any day of the week.
August 10, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Now now, friarfan, let’s not let this sweep get us too down. Remember, next year (at least) 3/4 of our infield will be entering their peak years, which (we hope) means even better production then we got from them this year. The same goes for Ben Johnson if he does start for us in left. Mike Cameron’s skill set is such that his plate production probably won’t change much. Knock on wood that Giles will turn things around; even if he doesn’t, he probably won’t be much worse than he is now. Peavy will probably be much more valuable next year than this year (again, knock on wood). Hensley and Young will be entering their peak, so hopefully the same from them if not better. So it seems to me that, especially because of the infield, we can only get better next year, not even counting any off-season pickups (like a third baseman). But maybe I’m just being too optimistic…
August 10, 2006 at 12:08 pm
ff - DR “can’t hit lefties”??? For 2006, anyway, that statement isn’t supported by his stats … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/pl.....smgQOFCLcF … shows .848 OPS vs LHP and .798 vs RHP …
August 10, 2006 at 12:10 pm
I usually post here when I’m feeling frustrated - and thus nearly all my posts seem, okay, are negative, but here’s something positive…
Much of what looks like sucky offense is park effects. The Padres are 5th in the NL in EQA (.265). We are better offensively than STL, PHIL, HOU, MIL, and every one in our division but those Dodgers. And we are only two points shy of being 2nd in EQA. In the whole league, only the Mets are decisively better with the bats than our Padres.
Though being swept is no fun, especially with the Dogers and D’backs RIGHT THERE on our ass, and we all would have liked a real answer at 3B, it’s still a bit too early to be chucking this team/manager/GM overboard. We are one 5-win week away from feeling good again.
August 10, 2006 at 12:11 pm
re: mental makeup, we have been flat since the ASB. I think Trevor’s blown save after our big comeback in that first game back against the Braves after the break was huge for the team’s psyche. Win that game after a huge comeback and who knows where things are today. But ever since then, we have found every way to lose, the pitching has been bad, the hitting inconsistent at best, and the defense generally bad. Couple a few more blown saves and the releases of EY and Vinny with a lack of big move at the deadline that indicates some sort of plan to win and we have a low-confidence team that looks to be feeling the pressure. We really need to win the series in Houston before we face the West again, otherwise it could get much worse.
August 10, 2006 at 12:12 pm
re: Brocail … continuing to play devil’s advocate … so why do *you* think Bochy put him in?
I’m not a Bochy fan at all … but I think he is the 10th-15th best baseball manager in the whole world … don’t you? So I’m betting he had a good reason …
August 10, 2006 at 12:13 pm
better then 99-03… yeah, I guess. Raised expectations (aka: please let us not be to worst team in all of baseball AGAIN) can do that. But that doesn’t say much about your team. We need PLAYERS, not role-players. The only guys on this entire team I think should be untouchable are Cameron (world-class D), Adrian, and Peavy. I think you could upgrade at all the other spots. I just hope we do at a few.
Move Greene to 3B and get Tejada.
August 10, 2006 at 12:13 pm
In all of this, can someone PLEASE justify Bellhorn’s roster spot? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Aaron Boone should be available on the cheap and I just can’t imagine him being more useless than Bellhorn.
August 10, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Hey MC317 … weren’t you here when we were screaming for Vinny to be let go and let Bellhorn play more? We asked to sleep in this bed … let’s do so for a while. Obviously Bellhorn’s below-average, but I’m not convinced yet that he’s below-replacement-level. I have no idea about what Aaron Boone would do … but “cheap” ain’t “free” … and I think that Leone and/or McAnulty would be better options than Boone, both short-term and medium-term. Long term (ie. 2007+), it’s obvious we need to get somebody to play 3B that’s better than anyone currently in the org.
August 10, 2006 at 12:24 pm
Re 55: Well, non-friarfan, you couldn’t be more wrong. The Padres are league average in BA with RISP. Not getting one hit with RISP in two games is a statistical fluke.
Giles doesn’t even come close to sucking (3rd most Win Shares on team) although he is having a bad year by his standards; Roberts is hitting lefties this year (and has 2nd most Win Shares on team); Cameron is streaky, but valuable offensively and defensively compared to what the Padres have had in CF (most Win Shares on team); Barfield is just a rookie, who is providing more offensively than Loretta did last year; and Walker will likely be a far superior offensive 3B than Castilla or Bellhorn or Blum.
You ignore park effects, and you ignore the pitching problems in the second half.
The 2006 Padres are simply an inconsistent team, but one far more exciting than the 2005 version.
August 10, 2006 at 12:29 pm
re: Bochy … and then again, it’s always possible that he simply made a mistake … easy to see in hingsight that, if he was waiting for the 8th inning to bring in Linebrink, that that wasn’t a good decision …
Wonder if Linebrink wasn’t available?
From the box score, I s’pose Williamson or Thompson woulda been better options than Brocail …
August 10, 2006 at 12:30 pm
I hate to say it, but with only 6-7 weeks left in the season, I might be ready to jump on that Aaron Boone bandwagon. Aaron Boone can’t be any worse than Blumhorn/Walker at third. He could get hot at the right time, or he could continue to give us a similar level of production that we have had for the past year at third. He would at least provide us with a “real” “veteran” “glove-man” at third that would boost the teams spirits. Plus he’s a local boy. I don’t see why they haven’t picked him up already. If we did, I cut Bellhorn and platoon Walker with Barfield. I think Josh is close to hitting the wall and could use some rest here and there. He’s certainly in a funk at the moment, his laser-shot last night notwithstanding.
August 10, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Bochy’s problem with his bullpen management is that very rarely does he deviate from his pattern. Linebrink’s his 8th inning guy, so he’s not coming in any earlier. We saw this last year when Liney was better than Aki but it was still Linebrink in the 7th and Aki in the 8th. Personally I would have brought in Williamson today to start the 7th (I thought that’s why we picked him up). But Bochy likes to manage his pen by rote first, then feel. He must have felt that Brocail was pitching better, and thought he could do the job. *shrug* who knows?
August 10, 2006 at 1:14 pm
re:68
You’re right. Giles doesn’t suck compared to Bellhorn, Juan Pierre, or David Eckstein. For 10 mil…he sucks. How is it a good measure of quality when referencing win shares on this team? I mean, he’s contributing the 3rd most on a .500 team? That’s awesome!
I understand Barfield’s a rookie. That’s why I said, “Barfield is a rookie”.
Roberts can hit certain lefties…the ones everyone hits. The ones you and I could hit (well, you could hit). He cannot hit good or average lefties. Boch has sat him against all those guys because he knows he cannot hit them. If he plays against them, his numbers are in line with his career numbers against lefties. Besides, I said he was, along with Adrian, one of our best hitters. So re: Barfield and Roberts, you re-state what I said (yet somehow we’re in disagreement)
I really don’t care if Walker is superior to Vinny or whoever. Yellow crap may be superior to green and black crap, but crap is crap. (sweet analogy, eh!?).
I’m not ignoring park factors and the second half pitching woes. They make the Padres second rate, too. These guys are pitching crappy because they are crappy. Jake’s struggles have been documented, but at least he is one who is consistently effective and very unlucky this year. Woody Williams is a time bomb, Chris Young can’t go longer than 6 innings, Chan Ho’s out, but wasn’t great even when he was here (on the other end of all Jake’s bad luck), and Hensley’s a head case (3 pitch K, 4 pitch K, BB, BB, BB, 2B, 3 pitch K).
I’m not sure how long the park factor excuse does anything for me. I mean, our defense plays well to our park, so shouldn’t that negate any offensive disadvantage to some extent? It should also help our pitchers, yet visiting hitters continue to kill the Pads in Petco.
I’m just saying…I think this team has grossly overachieved to this point and I am continually surprised when, like the housing market, the bubble has not yet burst. Or maybe it has. The next few weeks will tell.
Also, no…hell no….on Aaron Boone.
August 10, 2006 at 1:25 pm
I would pick up Boone if he’s released but I wouldn’t trade anything for him. I don’t think he’d be that much better than Bellhorn to justify giving anything of value.
I’m old school enough to think that RISP is not totally random. I think the Padres RISP performance in this series was a result of good pitching from the Mets combined with mental issues, whether it’s complacency or over-anxiousness or something else.
The Ben Johnson AB to end the game yesterday was a good example. Several people have mentioned they thought the call was bad, I thought it was too close to take with 2 strikes and the game on the line. More telling to me was the 3-1 pitch, it was close and Johnson started to first but it was called a strike. He fouled off a pitch or two and then did the same thing on strike three. That tells me he was looking to draw a walk and let somebody else take a shot rather than being aggressive in a situation where he could drive in some runs. If he swings and grounds out to second base I wouldn’t be happy but I’d at least give him credit for trying to drive in a run rather than letting an umpire decide the game.
August 10, 2006 at 1:33 pm
This game left something to be desired. the quality of play wasn’t well. Brocail shouldn’t have been in that game.
the throw beat Roberts when he tried to stretch the double but ti was a bad angle.
Was there a blackhole in that strike zone?
that being said, Chris Young struggled. He had trobule extending on his front foot to get to home. The shea mound didn’t look to great either.
August 10, 2006 at 1:42 pm
LM - agree that I was also one of the ones hoping Bellhorn would fare better than Vinny. It didn’t happen, at least to this point.
August 10, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Ah, that raises a question … has Bellhorn done better than Vinny did?
August 10, 2006 at 1:54 pm
In my opinion they’re both inept, but I think Vinny had a better glove. The only advantage Bellhorn has is he’s a switch “hitter”, but I use the term lightly as almost half the time he K’s.
August 10, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Bad series; we are going to have them. If we lose this division, I will blame it on the non-trade for Betemit. I like Walker, but he is what we should have as utility player that gets decent PT.
We need offense and a 3B, there is a solid 3B out there and available and you need to give up a solid mid-reliever? Geez. Of course you do that.
August 10, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Not sure what a “mental kick in the pants” is supposed to accomplish. Is the team trying to win? Yes. Is it doing things glaringly poorly, like hacking at bad pitches or playing sloppy? No. It is just not hitting and not pitching great. Not much you can do about that. “Go and hit.” “Try harder”, etc, not sure what that accomplishes. The coaches should tweak things if they see flaws, but not getting down on players just because the outcomes are not what you want. If the input is there, team meetings about outcomes is stupid.
August 10, 2006 at 2:26 pm
What can the pads do next year to improve thier offence? If you think about it 7 out of the 8 spots are set for next season, sure a 3B will help but unless his name is david wright or A-Rod then I dont think they will be able to carry this team.
August 10, 2006 at 2:27 pm
no offense, but this thread is riddled with exaggeration and psychobabble.
understandably, as we’re going through one of the low points of the season.
but how the heck do you know what’s going on in these players heads?
this is a slightly above average team at the top of a tight race that just got swept by the best team in the NL. That’s all we can really say.
August 10, 2006 at 2:35 pm
your right Eric I think we are all just venting some steam, If teh team starts to win again then the board will become more optimistic.
August 10, 2006 at 2:44 pm
Eric is psycho-babble!!
Steve is right, just venting.
August 10, 2006 at 2:50 pm
yeah, nuthin wrong with venting.
friarfan is a poopoo face!
August 10, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Can I say poop, too? Oh, wait, I just did.
Now let’s all go out and pound some Budweiser and come back and beat Houston tomorrow, to paraphrase Joe Schultz. And if you don’t get the reference or don’t know who Joe Schultz is, get yourself a copy of Ball Four and start reading immediately!
August 10, 2006 at 3:20 pm
Steve: I count only five spots as set for next season. Left field and catcher seem to be up in the air. The good news is, I don’t think we’ll need a third baseman who can carry the team. The rest of the infield is going to be very good offensively, and Cameron and Giles will hold their own, with Giles a candidate to bounce back somewhat. The main requirement of any third baseman next year is that he not stink. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to say that.
Eric: Good call. There’s really only one team in the NL that anyone should fear, and we just found out why. Bummer, but it’s done.
August 10, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Who’s engaging in psycho-babble?
August 10, 2006 at 3:36 pm
I think its set that
Roberts or Johnson will be in LF
and Bard or Piazza will be behind the plate
August 10, 2006 at 3:40 pm
I mean if the pads really wanted to win then they could do something like this:
Barfield 2B
Giles RF
Gonzalez 1B
Piazza/Bard C
Lee LF
Crede 3B
Cameron CF
Greene SS
Peavy
Zito
Young
Eaton
Hensley
But we know they wont spend the money, I guess thats really what i meant.
August 10, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Steve-
That scenario probably added almost 40 million dollars to the payroll (for next year alone) to 3 players who are going to be past their prime really soon. That’s not “really wanting to win,” that’s a bad use of money. The Yankees won’t be able to get all three of those guys in one offseason.
August 10, 2006 at 9:32 pm